Arlington ISD might hire firm that donated thousands to trustees - The Dallas Morning News

Arlington school trustees will consider Thursday whether to hire a new law firm to collect delinquent taxes.

Campaign finance reports, however, show that trustees have received thousands of dollars in donations from the law firm Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson and attorneys who work for it, raising implications of what could be seen as a conflict of interest.

For example, the firm gave $2,500 to Melody Fowler, $2,000 to Aaron Reich, and $1,000 to Sarah McMurrough this year, according to finance reports.

In 2017, the Austin-based firm gave Board President Kecia Mays and Vice President Bowie Hogg each $2,500. Several trustees have also received contributions from the firm’s attorneys.

Board President Mays did not respond to a request for comment. Several trustees who received donations did not respond to a similar request or directed questions to the district spokesperson.

Under the proposed contract, Linebarger would receive 15% of all delinquent taxes, penalties and interest it collects for the school district. The contract is for three years, with an option to extend.

Over the past five years, the district collected a total of $8.3 million in delinquent taxes.

In recent years, Linebarger has developed a reputation for using tough tactics to extract huge — but legal — penalties related to old traffic tickets, back taxes and other government-related debts.

The firm is also known for courting and donating heavily to elected officials statewide, according to a previous CNN Money report. In 2014, the Dallas City Council declined to renew the firm’s contract. At the time, some questioned whether Linebarger’s political donations were playing a role in the city’s procurement process.

Earlier this year, Dallas rehired Linebarger to collect its delinquent fees, city documents show.

Arlington ISD said that it does not have adequate support staff, software or experience to manage collections on its own, according to district documents. Its contract with a different firm is ending this year.

A district spokesperson said the district hired an outside consultant firm, Feldman & Feldman, to solicit proposals from collection firms, evaluate the proposals and make a recommendation. The district last hired the Linebarger firm in 2013.

The district is looking for a firm to replace Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott.

Linebarger has 2,500 clients nationwide and manages $10 billion in delinquent accounts for the public sector, district documents say.

source: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/11/11/arlington-isd-might-hire-law-firm-that-donated-thousands-of-dollars-to-trustees/

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